Chapter 2 – Out With The Old

The whiskey was still there when Twilight returned to her chambers. Left open and lukewarm, unfit to drink. Twilight replaced the cork and cast a simple chill spell which cooled the liquid, forming several small chucks of ice which swirled within the bottle and condensation stuck to the glass. Breathing a sigh Twilight poured herself a glass and took a sip, the warm familiar feeling spreading throughout her body.

A crisp knock at her door. Twilight placed down her glass and went to answer the door. Twas Rainbow Dash as she requested.

“Rainbow Dash,” Twilight greeted, it was still so surreal to see her.

“Twilight,” Rainbow said back. Not quite meeting her gaze. “You called for me?”

“Yeah… Uh, come in,” Twilight said, moving aside. “Would you like a drink? I've got some whiskey here-“

“No, thank you,” Rainbow said rather forcefully, stepping inside.

Twilight took a moment to take in the finer details of Rainbow Dash’s form for a moment. Small scars patterned her face and body. A long thin one lined her left wing. Stories of battle which Twilight could not know.

“What happened to you?” The question was bordering on accusation, nut Twilight needed to know.

“After… the war, I travelled a lot, flew the unknown skies to the east, maybe I was running, I dunno,” Rainbow sighed. “I was always fighting, maybe I just got tired, and when I heard about all this I thought maybe I could help out, like the old days.”

There was something in Dash’s eyes, it appeared only went she looked at Twilight. She could not quite place it but it was soft and sad, strange, foreign. Yet, usable, yes, something she could trust to be loyal. After all it was her element, and guilt was a powerful oath.

“And it will be,” Twilight said softly, pulling Rainbow Dash into a hug. She stiffed at the contact but would relax, melting at Twilight’s touch.

“C’mon, we’re going home” Twilight said.

Ponyville

The town had grown into what could be called a small city. While the bulk of the population remained as farmers, foresters, miners, and so on. Even the rusty old backwater could not escape the new industrial world. The river pushed watermills which lined the bank turning the gears and cogs of factories. They ground wheat into bread and packaged it to be shipped and sold. Even Applejack had bowed to the new way eventually, for the siren song of profit was alluring indeed. When one could invest in a single magical crystal that would power a machine to do the work of ten workers in half the time. Well, that was just good business. Merchants came en masse and so did the workers, more and more homesteads and inns were built. More people came. It was a time of progress.

Twilight’s guards were formed up outside of Oathtree Castle, Twilight’s castle. The servants which Twilight had hired days prior to the ceremony were presumably inside the castle already, seeing as banners bearing the sigil of House Sparkle already flew from the ramparts.

Rainbow Dash wasted no time and called the platoon of guards to attention, her drill voice gruffly echoing off the castle walls. The sixty stallions stomped their hooves and straighter up. Heads held proud.

“Good evening, gentlemen,” Twilight said, standing before them. “I would like to once again thank you all for your service, I could not have asked for a better group of guardsmen to protect me, and with that I would like to introduce you all to my Captain of the Guard, Rainbow Dash, she is a former member of the Wonderbolt Task Force and is highly respected and experienced, she shall be your commander and head of my house guard, she speaks with my authority and I trust that you shall all give her the respect that she deserves.”

“I’ll leave you to it,” Twilight said to Rainbow.

“Meet you when I’m done here,” Rainbow said. Twilight walked off and would hear Rainbow’s drill voice echo once more just before Twilight entered the castle. “Listen up, ladies! Here's how it's going to work around here..!”

Inside the general staff was waiting, the maids, chef, and Twilight’s Head of Staff. A Prench mare with a cream coloured coat, blond mane, and a clipboard as a mark. Honey Cream was her name.

“Ze former mayor iz waiting in ze board room,” Honey said with her light Prench purr affecting her speech.

The board room was up a level, it was wide with a large table and chairs for Twilight to sit and meet with whomever she saw fit. Waiting for her now was Mayor Mare, well, former Mayor Mare that was. Now she was just Ivory Scroll.

“This is odd,” Ivory Scroll said. “Usually I'm the one people come to meet.”

“Yes, it's a strange time for all of us,” Twilight said with a smile and a laugh. “But I hope you shall help me make this transition as easy as possible.”

“Of course, and here's all the documents that you’ll need,” Ivory said, gesturing to a thick file laying on the table. Twilight smiled as started leafing through it. Taxes and budget expenditures mostly, but…

“Where's the census?” Twilight asked, flipping through the file.

“Census, gods, we don't have a census in Ponyville,” Ivory said casually.

“Don't have a… What do you mean you don’t have a census,” Twilight said. “A census is required by imperial law, do you mean you've been violating the law for years, not to mention how do you keep track of population? Demographics? Do you even know if people pay their taxes?”

“We’re an honest town, I trust everyone to do their duty,” Ivory said happily.

“You trust… where's the tax rate spreadsheet?” Twilight picked up the file and found the relevant document. “This can't be right… You give massive tax breaks to farms and put that burden on merchants and shop owners.”

“Yes, well, traditionalist farmers are the backbone of this town, they founded it, they built it,” Ivory huffed, she was becoming annoyed.

“Farmers make up over half the population, you’re taking the tax burden off them and placing it on the merchants whom are less that twenty percent the population,” Twilight suddenly desired a drink of whiskey. “Are you dense? No wonder this town took so long to grow from a dusty village, you've been burdening the employers.”

“Lady Twilight with all due respect it’s the sweat and tears of hard-working earth pony farmers who built this town into what it is, they deserve to be respected for their contributions.”

“That makes no economic sense,” Twilight said in exasperation. “Democracy, offering us mediocre under-qualified glorified showmen whom capitulate to the masses rather than doing what must be done, Captain!”

“Yes ma’am!” Rainbow Dash answered, flying in and saluting.

“Escort Ms. Ivory to a locked room, we’ll be keeping here here until she can be transported to the capital’s dungeons,” Twilight ordered.

“On what grounds!?” Ivory Scroll demanded.

“How about defying an imperial mandate to hold a census? Or improper handling of taxes? These are serious crimes”

“Oh, I see how it is,” Ivory sneered. “You fear my popularity, you’re scared that the earths won't accept some bourgeois horn-head as their leader, and you’re right your highness, they’ll never accept you.”

“Listen,” Twilight said, softening her voice. “Maybe you were honestly trying to do the right thing, but I can't just let this sort of oversight go unpunished... what would people think of me then? No, call me what you will but my word is law manifest by divine decree.”

“The people of this land won't stand for this,” Ivory threatened.

“I hope you're wrong, I really do,” Twilight said “Take her away.”

Rainbow Dash escorted Ivory Scroll away as Twilight went through the file once more, putting the details to memory before turning to Honey Cream.

“Honey I want you to go to town hall and get every document you can find, tear up the floorboards if you have to, then I want you to draft me an order to commence a census, we’ll need to hash out dates, times, and where people are to report, we’ll need administrators and workers to man stalls, parchment, ink, quills, and so on, tell Rainbow to have the guards ready for crowd control too,” Twilight said, pacing back and forth, her mind racing.

“Of course madame, anyzing else?” Honey Cream purred, she seemed rather entertained by all this.

“Yes,” Twilight said, rubbing her temples. “Get me a tall bottle of whiskey, Imperial Reserve.”

Sweet Apple Acres

Applejack wiped the sweat off her brow as she pushed the last of the barrels onto the cart. It had been a good harvest this year, very good, and it had been like that for many years now. Ever since the Apple Family decided that if all of their farms across Equestria operated together it would result in greater profit for the lot of them. With canneries and bottlers in the north and mass crops in the south, Apple products from cider to sauce were very popular items for the average consumer. Yet despite the growing farming empire Applejack had long ago since made the decision to maintain her simple farmer lifestyle, as did Mac and Granny. Applebloom had taken off to the capital, she worked with the far more invested cousins to maintain and grow the company. From her letters Applejack knew she lived in great comfort, and she couldn't be prouder.

“That's the last of 'em!” Applejack called out.

“Tha's great, we'll be able ta send em off in the morn then,” Oak Pine said, he was one of the farm workers, a good stallion. A thick black moustache over his lip, brown fur, well muscled legs, and heavy black eyebrows over green eyes. “We're all set fer the winter then.”

“That's right, it'll be nice to have a good break,” Applejack said. “What'll you do over the holidays then?

“Me? Oh I'll be sure to make myself busy, I'm not too good at relaxin ya know?” Oak Pine said.

“I hear ya there, I ain't no good at sittin and knittin as granny calls it,” Applejack chuckled.

“Well we could always keep each other company if ya want,” Oak Pine seemed interested in the ground all of a sudden.

“Oh? And what do ya mean by that then?” Applejack said, cocking and eyebrow and leaning casually on the cart.

“I... I just mean we could uh, grab dinner sometime er uh, maybe take a walk through a orchards? Just ta keep ourselves busy,” Oak Pine stammered.

“Of course, just keepin' ourselves busy,” Applejack rolled her eyes and shook her head, before she could say anything else though she heard a voice calling her name.

“Applejack!” It was Big Mac, he approached them in a hasty manner quite faster than his normal lumbering manner. “I think ya'll should see this.”

From a saddlebag Mac produced a rolled piece of parchment which he gave to Applejack. Unfurling it revealed the parchment to be a most official document, a mandate actually.

“This document should act as official notice to all persons of concern, the county of Ponyville and all of it's associated lands and territories shall now fall under the governance and lordship of Her Royal Highness Lady Twilight of House Sparkle, as has been decreed by the crown and made law by imperial right, all citizens of the aforementioned territories are hereby commanded to immediately swear their fealty and loyalty to Her Majesty. All landowners, merchants, and otherwise business owners are hereby notified to the impeding change in policy regarding collection of tax, land rights, and other administrative processes,” Applejack read aloud, two seals marked the documents as legitimate, one from the crown, the other a star that must have marked Twilight's authority. “Twilight's a... lady? And she's in charge of Ponyville?”

“The same paper is put up across town on every notice board,” Mac said. “And people are already starting to talk, Green Leaf said he saw Mayor Mare being escorted somewhere under guard, Silver Platter said he overheard two unicorn merchants talking about how the new lady has already bumped up profits.”

“Why in the name of Gaia am I only hearin about his now?” Applejack said, taken aback.

“My guess is the big manes of Canterlot wanted to keep the whole thing a private affair,” Oak Pine said. “Typical Unicorns.”

Applejack frowned and looked at the document. “Twilight's a friend.”

“You haven't spoken in years,” Mac reminded her.

“Yeah, but she has her own responsibilities and I have the farm,” Applejack said defensively. “I know here to be a good mare, this is a big change and Mayor Mare was good to us but there's no reason Twilight isn't as every bit as reasonable, lemme go see her, it'll be good to talk to an old friend at the very least.”

Author's Note

Hey that was fast wasn't it?